Charged Relations
by SynjoDeonecros
Summary: Hard Drive tries to break into Khan Industries, only to meet up with an old flame from his past that sparks up his life and dredges up old ghosts. Based on the stories of Wielder Wolf found here: /user/wielder13arch/


Hard Drive cursed under his breath as he ran for his life. Behind him, sirens wailed and gunshots fired as he turned the corner of the massive industrial building. He didn't expect this kind of resistance when he first decided to break into Khan Industries, but then again, he didn't expect to find the kind of technology the complex had, either. He was only in the building for 10 minutes, and found both a gold mine and trouble for a techno-thief like him; state of the art electronics and cybernetics littered the labs within the building, but each and every one of them were heavily guarded. Slipping past the security systems he thought would be easy, given his knack for disabling such devices, but Khan, whoever he was, must've been extremely paranoid about his projects, since no sooner had Hard Drive disabled one security device than three other redundant systems tripped, and before he knew it, he was being swarmed with armed guards gunning for his life.

He ducked into another corner, wincing at the sound of a bullet ricocheting off the wall behind him. Looking down, he growled and fingered the still-scorching hole in his Surge Coat that the bullet created. Fortunately, none of the circuitry was damaged, but just an inch or two further up... He sighed and charged up his hand with electricity, punching the ground to electrify the floor behind him. With any luck, the static-imbued floor would slow the guards down long enough for him to escape.

Or so he thought.

Turning another corner, Hard Drive screeched to a halt as he came face-to-face with yet another guard troupe. Behind him, he could hear some of the guards he had left behind calling for rubber mats to be brought in, obviously in an attempt to bypass his trap. Glancing between the guards in front of him and the empty corridor behind him where the guards were trying to get to him, the electric tabby knew he couldn't get away. Then he saw it. It was small and almost indistinct, but up in the ceiling was a covered light socket, burned out from his intrusion. Praying under his breath, he conjured up a bolt of lightning and threw it at the fixture, shattering the dome covering it and the burned-out bulb within with a puff of smoke and shower of sparks. That was all the break he needed; The guards in front of him, blinded by the explosion, dropped their weapons for a brief moment as they covered their eyes, giving Hard drive the opportunity he needed. Turning into electricity, he entered the socket, traveling like a flash through the building's wiring and out into the city's power network. As he raced along power lines and stations, he cursed himself again at his failure and thought back on what he had learned during his brief trip inside the complex.

He needed to plan a lot better, if he was expecting to make another raid on Khan Industries.

Felina Feral looked up as she heard the sound of a large and very expensive car pull into the parking lot of Khan Industries. Sure enough, the distinct black limo of the building's owner, Shere Khan, came to a halt right in front of the police barrier, the window to the far back seats rolling down to reveal its passengers. Trussed up in a pair of matching suits, Khan and his mate – and Felina's uncle – Ulysses Feral sat, worried expressions on their faces.

"We got the call from my security chief just fifteen minutes ago," Khan said, concerned. "He said it was some freak named Hard Drive making the break-in."

Felina nodded as she walked over to the limo, a determined frown creasing her lips. "It was; surveillance videos confirm it, and we've got an electrified floor and a bullet with a piece of the creep's Surge Coat on it to back it up."

Both cats in the limo cursed under their breath, Feral a bit louder than his mate. "He's getting ballsy if he's hitting something so big and heavily-secured."

"Not so secured that it wouldn't have made a tempting target," Khan corrected. "This is a new industrial complex that I just recently refurbished. Only half the security staff was assigned, tonight, and the systems were all experimental. If what you told me about his electrical powers is true, I'm surprised he didn't get farther than he did."

Felina nodded again, folding her arms thoughtfully. "Fortunately nothing was stolen, at least nothing that we can tell, but I can bet you he got a good glimpse at the kind of tech you've got building in there; it's likely he's going to plan another attempt on the place."

Both Khan and Feral nodded in agreement, but before they could respond, the high-pitched roar and familiar gusts of wind from a pair of JATO jet engines came in, signaling the late arrival of the Swat Kats. Landing the Jet a good distance away in the parking lot, the duo of Razor and T-Bone powered the jet down and jumped out, making a beeline toward the limo.

"Sorry we got here so late," Razor said, apologetically. "But we got caught up in an armed robbery by the Metallikats."

"Besides," T-Bone added, smirking a little beneath his stern exterior. "It doesn't sound like you needed our help with this."

Felina sighed and shook her head, smiling. "Fortunately no; Khan's guards are like an army in there. They could easily rival the Enforcers... or you."

Razor grinned and waved the comment off, dismissively. "So, what's the damage?"

"Nothing of consequence," Feral harrumphed, creating an air of haughty dominance over the pair; even though his personal relationship with them had greatly improved, as of late, his public relationship hadn't changed, and he aimed to keep it that way, to avoid any major suspicion. "Seems like Khan's soldiers were able to take care of the problem before anything major was stolen... even though he still got away."

T-Bone snorted at Feral's attitude, though gave him a wry wink to let him know he was in on the charade. "Well, aren't you a bundle of sunshine, Feral. In any case, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him, here, though I don't think he's going to try anything about it for a while."

"Perhaps, but I'm not about to take any chances." Khan flicked on a switch on the dash of the limo's back seat. "Peter, have the remaining guards expected for this building to report to duty by the end of tomorrow. I want this building secure 24/7."

A crackling sound emitted from the dash as Peter, back at Khan's main headquarters, responded. "Yes, sir, I'll see to it right away."

Khan nodded and flicked the switch off, turning back to Felina. "I'm assuming you're going be monitoring this place for any new infiltration attempts?"

Felina nodded herself and cracked her knuckles. "We'll have our own 24 hour surveillance on the labs at your request. If that scum attempts to come back, we'll be ready."

"Very well. I'll leave it in your capable hands." With that, Khan ordered the limo to back out of the parking lot, driving out into the night.

T-Bone and Razor watched as the limo left, then turned toward Felina. "Is there anything we can do to help?" the bigger tabby asked, crossing his arms.

Felina shook her head, shrugging helplessly. "Thanks, but from the sounds of it, and I don't mean to sound like my uncle when I say this, but the Enforcers can handle it from here."

Razor smirked, keeping a giggle welling up in his throat in check. "Well, you know where those words lead, so if they do, you know where to call us." Waving goodbye to the Enforcer commander, the duo jumped back into their jet and took off, leaving Felina alone to work over the crime scene thoroughly.

Deep within a particularly dilapidated section of the Megakat City slums, Hard Drive was scheming, his Surge Coat on a desk as he worked on sewing up the holes in it. He didn't like living in such a dirty, dreary place, but it was the only safe place for a thief like him to stash away. Grumbling, he reached out to grab some more thread from the desk, only to wince in pain as sparks suddenly flew from his hand, his hole arm twitching in uncontrolled reflex. Carefully, he closed his eyes, grabbed his arm with his other hand, and willed his electrical powers to calm themselves, the pain surging through him gradually subsiding as they obliged.

He huffed in relief as he continued ministering to his coat. _Damn condition,_ he thought to himself, dourly. _That's the third time this week it's flared up on me. If I wasn't so stupid with my heist at Khan Industries, I'd have what I'd need to get it calmed down, by now..._ As if in response, his fingers gave off one last zap before fully dying down. He looked at his fingers in concern before sighing and returning to his work. _That tech was perfect for what I needed. That Khan character must be really paranoid about security to throw so many guards and redundant systems into one building. I've I'm going to swipe the gear I need from that place, I'm going to have to do some major recon. But how? Now that they've seen me, I don't think any of my typical disguises will work on them._

Finishing up the last stitch, he zapped the excess string to cut it and went over to a nearby closet to hang it up. As he did, he passed by his computer, on which was a picture of him an a young, strong kat, playing around in the nude with an odd-looking device in what looked to be a school lab. He stared at it out of the corner of his eye, considering something that he quickly dismissed, out of hand. _No, I won't do that to him. He's got his own life to live, now, and I'll only be a stupid reminder of the past. It'll never work out, anyway; I'd look too much like I do, now, if I tried to..._ He stopped, looking back at the computer, then to a mirror hanging on the wall. Staring at it inquisitively, he tilted his head, imagining what he would look like now as he did in the picture – metal piercings, rainbow-dyed headfur, crazy tye-dyed lab-coat. Grunting in concerned determination, he nodded and returned to his desk, pulling out a pad and pencil to write down a list of things he'd need to set up the deception. _I'm sorry, Peter,_ he thought, bitterly, _but this is the only way I can save myself. I just hope you don't get in the way..._

Later that week, Hard Drive arrived at the labs, looking up at the outside of the buildings he had just a few measly days earlier been running for his life in. Sighing, he looked down at himself, hoping his disguise was good enough; much like in the picture on his computer's background, he had his hair and skinfur dyed in the occasional rainbow blotch, his hair itself a cascade of color. His matching labcoat and pants were likewise splotched with tye-dye, and he had a series of piercings along his eyebrow, ear, and nose. . _As long as I keep my powers and condition under control,_ he told himself, _I should be able to pass myself off as a prospective techie and gain access. I should then be able to assess the situation and plot a heist. Hopefully, they'll have what I need..._ Growling in determination, he braced himself and entered the building.

Inside was a cacophony of activity as guards and technicians ran hither and thither, working to better secure the labs for Hard Drives return. Though nervous about being caught, he was surprised when most of the kats rushed by him without even glancing at him. Some did stop, but only to say hello and to comment on his dress before running off. This was both a good and bad thing; on the one hand, no one seemed to recognize him, but on the other hand, no one was willing to stop long enough to interview or even help him. After a good 20 minutes of this madness, he was about to give up and come up with another plan to infiltrate the labs some other way, when a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind. Turning around, he froze in place as his eyes met a pair he never wanted to see again.

"Marz?" the kat asked, offering his left – and only – hand for shaking. "Is that you?"

Hard Drive blinked, surprised and distraught, took the kat's hand warmly. "Peter? Wow, how are you? I haven't seen you in years."

Peter grinned and pulled Hard Drive – Marz – into a big one-armed bear hug. "I've been doing better, but things aren't too bad. What about you? I thought I'd lost you during..."

Marz nodded and patted the kat on the back, cutting him off with a clearing of his throat. "Um, yeah. I thought so, too. I'm glad to see you." He rubbed the back of his head bashfully, looking around at the still-bustling building. "I see you've made good for yourself."

Peter nodded. "Yeah, I guess I have. But tell me about you. What have you been up to, these past couple of years?"

Marz bit his lip, struggling to keep his composure. "Nothing much, actually; bouncing from job to job, place to place, the usual. That's actually why I'm here."

"Ah, I see. Well, unfortunately, we aren't hiring anyone, right now, in light of the break-in..."

"Break-in?" Marz asked, quirking his eyebrow in feigned confusion.

Fortunately for him, Peter didn't catch the deception, so caught up with seeing his old friend was he. "Yeah, some freak named Hard Drive tried to crash the party here and make off with some of our tech, but the guards managed to scare him off. I'm surprised they managed to fend off an attack by a metakat like they did."

"Yeah, they must be something special," Marz droned, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Again, his old colleague didn't catch the hint. "We're trying to fortify the labs, right now, but after we do that and make sure Hard Drive's not coming back, I'd be happy to help you get a job here."

Marz nodded and patted Peter on the back a few times. The third time, his powers freaked out again, sending a small spark of electricity arcing at the kat; it was tiny, little more than your typical static shock, but it was enough to make Peter jump a little in surprise. "Oops! Sorry about that. Static..."

Peter glanced at Marz, and for a second it looked as though he had given himself away, but he merely smiled wryly and returned the pat on the back. "That's the Marz I know and love, screwing around with the forces of nature." Laughing, he gestured outside and led Marz toward the door. "C'mon, we can talk about this over lunch. I'm sure there's a lot we need to catch up on."

Marz smiled as best he could, though it was a thin, bitter smile. _More than you could ever know, Peter..._

'Lunch', as it turned out, was at _Chez Manticores_, a very fancy restaurant near the inner city. Marz was flabbergasted at how well-off Peter had become in the intervening years, ordering a fine steak for himself and braised squab for Marz. Peter laid out what had happened to him since their last contact, including his rise to the role of personal assistant to Khan, though Marz could sense he was leaving out vital information about said rise that he didn't want known. Marz, in turn, fed Peter a line about moving from place to place, working odd jobs for people, and not being tied down to anywhere in particular – a half-truth, but the only truth he was able to tell without spoiling his cover. Then, things turned to the worse as Peter finished his steak.

"So," he said, patting down his lips with a nearby napkin. "When did you wake up after the accident?"

It was a question Marz hoped never to be asked, ever, even by his old friend. He could feel the tingling sensation from the electricity surging through his body, the weeks of torture as he fell into a coma. He didn't care to remember it again, and if it was anyone else asking him, he would've avoided the question entirely. But this was Peter asking him, a friend and colleague, and he owed him an explanation, even if he had to twist the truth a little. "The docs said I was out for the better part of the year. I'm...honestly not surprised you decided not to hang around afterward."

Peter nodded and reached instinctively for the empty void where his arm should've been. "I did wait for you. I waited as long as I could, but when the docs said there was little hope of you waking up, I...I couldn't wait any longer. I couldn't bear the thought of what happened to you. If I had waited just a little longer..."

Marz frowned and reached out, taking the other kat's hand into his. Despite his deception, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Peter. They were good friends, after all, and it was hard to see him down like this. "Hey, it's alright. You didn't know I was going to wake up. Hell, neither did I. I don't blame you for leaving, Peter. I never have. I just... I just wish things had turned out different, y'know?"

Peter nodded and gripped Marz's hand, reassuringly. "Yeah, I do. I think about the incident every night. Still think about what happened to you, afterward, every now and then."

That didn't surprise Marz one bit. "You shouldn't worry about me, honestly. I'm getting by. You should take care of yourself."

Peter smiled, thinly. "I've gotten by, myself. Even had a bit of a lover, at one point, but...he wanted something I couldn't give."

"Oh..." was all Marz said, looking down at his plate, sadly. He didn't know who Peter was talking about, but he definitely knew what he meant when he said that person 'wanted something he couldn't give'. Looking up, he caught Peter's eyes, barely containing tears as they stared back at him, and blushed. "Well, It's been nice seeing you, Peter. I'm glad you're doing so well for yourself. And thanks for the lunch; I haven't eaten that well for a long time."

Peter gripped Marz's hand tighter, his pent-up tears finally breaking through and streaming down his face. "Any time, hon. I'd like to see you again, sometime."

That stopped Marz short; he never wanted to meet Peter during his infiltration, for obvious reasons, but now that he did, and knew Peter couldn't recognize him as his alias Hard Drive, he was tempted to take advantage of the situation. But he held back, knowing the complications of such an endeavor. "I'm afraid I'm not going to be around this area, much longer. I'm going to have to move out in the next few days if I don't find another job, and since Khan's business was the only one I could find..."

Peter waved his hand dismissively and pshawed. "I'm sure we can work something out. Khan's got a few suites empty in his building. I should be able to convince him to shack you up there until we get this crisis with Hard Drive situated, then we can get you applied for a job at the labs."

Marz sucked in breath sharply at the proposal, not sure what to think. On the one hand, this was perfect; he was able to continue to talk with Peter and hang out with him, and infiltrate the labs with ease. All he needed to do was make sure no one got wise to his true identity, and everything else was gravy. On the other hand, that meant he needed to be on his guard around Peter; the kat knew everything about him up to before the incident, and if he caught wind of his true identity, everything would be in jeopardy...something he did not want to risk, or put Peter through. "Thanks. I'll consider it.."

Peter nodded and dug out a card from his pocket, handing it to Marz. "Call me if you decide on it. I'd like to meet you again, soon. I feel like we have a whole lot of catching up to do."

Marz took the card and looked at it; it had the distinct logo of Khan Industries, though scribbled on the back was Peter's personal home phone number."Thanks, I will. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get going."

Peter smiled as his friend got up from his seat, doing the same and offering his hand again. "I'm glad we got this chance to talk, Marz. You don't know how much this means to me."

Marz smiled back and took his friend's hand, shaking it warmly. "Believe me, I do. See you later."

As he left Marz felt his spirits lift and his heart sink at the same time; He didn't like having to deceive his old friend like this, but he had no other choice. He just hoped it didn't wind up biting either of them in the ass, later on...

Later that night, Peter was consolidating the increase of security at the labs with Shere Khan, his boss...but in a most unusual way. Khan was bent over his desk, his pants and shorts around his ankles, as Peter, his own pants drawn down, was standing on a footstool, giving him the height he needed to take the tiger's firm ass. It was Khan's favorite position to negotiate deals with when it came to close confidants like Peter, and while the roles were reversed for anyone else, with Peter he was always on bottom. Neither of them knew why; perhaps it was the no-nonsense air of dominance that Peter exuded over his boss that made him weak at the knees. Or maybe it was because Peter, despite his small frame, was just as hung as his employer, coming to a hefty foot in length and 2 and a half inches in thickness. Whatever the case was, neither of them seemed to mind, even though Khan was now mated to Feral.

As they fucked, Peter ran down the list of all the security measures he had implemented, in as even a voice as possible. It wasn't difficult, honestly; Khan, being the charismatic leader of Khan Industries, taught Peter everything he knew about keeping a cool head and a firm, steady demeanor, even during stressful or distracting situations, so while the pleasure was building up in his balls, Peter's affect remained unchanged.

"Oh, before I forget," Peter finished, his orgasm growing as he pumped in and out of his boss, eagerly. "We had someone come by the labs looking for work. An old friend of mine that I thought I would never see again."

Khan looked back at his assistant, growling a little in confused lust. "Really, now? Is it the same guy you were lusting after in college?"

Peter blinked at Khan's words, shocked, but nodded, gripping the tiger's hips harder as he thrust wantonly into his ass. "Yes. His name is Marz Raikou, a master at electronic engineering. I had to shoo him away from the building, but I think he'd make a prospective employee after this whole Hard Drive business is taken care of."

Khan hummed, thoughtfully, before moaning as his own orgasm started reaching its peak. "I'm not in the habit of giving out work to strangers, Peter, even if he is your friend. He'll have to prove himself if he wants a job with us."

Peter nodded. "I'm sure he'll do fine, sir. Though, if you don't mind, I'd like to put him up in one of your suites, for the time being. According to him, he's going to be kicked out of his old place without work, and I'm afraid he might be out on the streets if I don't help him."

Khan nodded and moaned, the tiger digging trenches into his desk as he fought back his orgasm as much as he could. "I'll think about it. I trust you won't let him screw with my generosity. I'd hate to have to put a friend of yours out on his ass for not following procedure."

"I'll make sure he behaves himself, sir. Now, that's everything. So cum for me, you sexy tiger!" And with that, he slapped Khan's ass and growled as he himself spurted his load into Khan's tight tailhole. Khan, following orders, finally let himself loose, as well, spurting a load of sticky cream all over the front of his desk. His stomach bloated a little as Peter's load filled his inner walls, causing him to orgasm a second time at the feeling of being so full. It was always a pleasure he felt with Peter, and he enjoyed every minute of it.

By the time they were done, both Khan's backside and his desk were painted white with cum. It was just like old times for them, screwing around at the copier during Peter's rise to power as Khan's assistant. They hadn't done something like that in such a long time, and it felt good to let loose like that. Huffing, Peter laid down on Khan's back, rubbing his side with his hand. Khan, in turn, looked back at his assistant and grinned, murring happily.

"Shouldn't you be going soon, sir? This was very pleasurable, but I'm sure your mate is waiting for you."

Khan nodded and sighed again. Feral was dancing at the club again, going strong for the past couple of years. He really didn't need to; he didn't need the money or the pleasure of the strip club, ever since he became mates with the tiger, but it was something that Feral loved to do, sort of a rebellion against his retirement from the Enforcers. And, he had to admit, Feral looked damn sexy gyrating his hips on stage. "Indeed. Thanks for the release, Peter. Take the rest of the night off. I think you deserve it after this."

Peter smiled and hugged the tiger tight, licking along his ear. "Thank you, sir. I much appreciate it."

While that was going on, Marz was in his slum home, contemplating all that had happened, that day. His heart and head were torn to pieces as he agonized over Peter's offer. He knew Peter wouldn't have offered him a place to stay had he even suspected of Marz' true identity, and he had to admit, the offer did put him in the perfect position for his infiltration attempt. However, he also knew that one slip-up would bring the entire facade crashing down, and besides that, this was Peter he was talking about, his best friend and colleague. He couldn't take the risk of harming their friendship.

He started to pace around the room as he contemplated his next move. As he paced, his mind started to wander to the incident that caused them to be split apart and that set him on the path of his current alias of Hard Drive, and then earlier to the times he and Peter had together. Looking over to his computer, he sat down and started scanning through a private stash he had of himself and Peter having their fun on campus. It was always the same: he would invent some new electrical sex toy that he wanted to try out, Peter would give a token resistance to the idea, but eventually they'd wind up in the college's electronics lab, fooling around with the device until they both blew several loads together. It was always something; a conductive urethral sound or butt plug, a vibrating egg toy, a Faraday cage-like steel condom for electrostim. It was always with the electrostim with them; even as a kid, Marz had a fascination with electricity and its power, and would purposely shock himself with static electricity to get a feeling for it. Later in life, he learned how to safely harness the power for his own pleasure, and it became an addiction for him. Peter, while not at the same level of interest in the fetish as he was, was still perfectly willing and able to indulge him, and they both had no problems with engaging in their deepest, darkest electric fantasies together.

Undoing his pants, Marz started idly pawing off as he started one of his better-liked videos, involving an ever-present Van de Graaff Generator and a steel mesh glove. Peter was laying face-up on the metal table, bound hand and foot to the table's legs, unable to move as Marz began stroking his body with his gloved hand. Peter tensed as the hand reached his genitals, the cool metal caressing his member and balls as Marz began to slowly stroke him into erection. Then the electricity started as Marz placed his other hand on the sparking ball of the coil. It was exquisite; the metal table being used as the perfect ground for the kat, Peter moaned as bolts of electricity danced along his throbbing shaft, teasing it with its high-voltage, low-amperage shocks. Moving lower, Marz moved one of his metal-covered fingers to Peter's tailhole, slipping it in easily thanks to a glob of silicon-based lubrication injected into it. Peter gasped as the electrified digit entered him, its tingling stimulating his sphincter and prostate as the electricity surged through his loins. Smiling, Marz slid a second digit into him, making sure to keep the two digits separate to avoid a dangerous shock as he probed the kat's back end, stooping down low to lick along the underside of Peter's shaft and lap at the pre that was starting to form at his cockhead.

This went on for several minutes, the force of the shocks strong enough to keep Peter on edge but not enough to make him cum. It wasn't until Marz retracted his hand and undid his lab coat that the real fun had begun; there, wrapped around his throbbing 7 inch long, 2 inch thick member was a metal mesh condom, complete with wicked rounded spike on the tip, lubed up with the same silicon gel that Peter's tailhole was slickened with. Gripping Peter's genitals again with the gloved hand, Marz positioned his cock against the prepped ring of flesh and, with a moan, thrust in, the sparking piece of flesh easily penetrating into Peter's nether regions. The feeling of both his anus and his cock being assaulted by electrical sexual stimulation only made Peter groan loudly as a huge glob of pre spurted from his cock and onto his belly. Marz, smiling wickedly, started stroking and thrusting into his fiend at a regular interval, the feeling of the electricity surging through his body and into the kat like a perpetual orgasm for him. After that, it was simply a matter of spurts, groans, and howls as they came within 10 minutes of this ministration, then another 5 minutes from then, and another, the two cats milking each other dry within the following half hour.

It was an erotic video, Marz couldn't deny that. But it was also a sad video, a reminder of the torture they had gone through during and since the incident. Growling, he clicked off the video and stuffed his cock back into his pants, dourly. He couldn't think of Peter like that, not anymore; he had his own life to live, his own loves to pursue, and keeping him around would only bring pain. Sighing, he took out Peter's card and looked at it, contemplatively. With a sigh, he tossed it onto his desk and decided to retire for the night. If anything, he could sleep on the offer and come to a decision in the morning.

However, he never got a chance to.

Late that night, both he had Peter had similar dreams...or perhaps they were better called nightmares. The harsh crackle of out of control electricity humming through the air, the smell of frying flesh and burning nerves, the agonizing cry of Peter as he struggled to escape the coil before it was too late, his right hand fused to the globe like it was trapped. Then, all was blackness. It was the same dream they had, over and over again, though Marz moreso than Peter, and it often ended differently; Peter suffering through the agony of waiting for Marz to wake up, Marz feeling trapped in his own body, then floating above it as it moved in to punish the one responsible for the accident. It was always the same, always gut-wrenching, and always left both of them waking up in a cold sweat, unable to do much more than gasp each other's name in horror.

This time, though, was different; they had met each other again, and Marz still had Peter's phone number. Reaching over, he grabbed the card and stared at it, concerned. He didn't want to do this, but if he didn't he knew he would go mad, and likely Peter, as well. Sighing, he picked up the phone and dialed the number, hands shaking in nervous anticipation. At first, the phone rang off the hook, and he was about to hang up, but then it clicked as Peter picked up. "Hello, Peter? This is Marz... Couldn't sleep, huh? Yeah, me, neither. Could we meet somewhere to talk?"

Peter waited at the Kat's Meow strip club, twiddling his thumbs and watching the dancers strip erotically to the music. He had been waiting there for Marz for the past half hour, and was getting worried about his friend. Sighing, he dug out his phone and attempted to recall the number the tan kat had called him from when Marz finally walked into the door, scanning the area nervously. Smiling, he waved at Marz, catching his attention long enough to flag him down and bring him to his table. As he sat down, Marz looked around, twitchily, as if expecting someone to grab him and throw him out or something.

"Glad you could make it, hon," Peter smiled, a little frustratedly. "Settle down. There's no one that's going to hurt you, here."

Marz nodded and continued to dart his eyes around, fearful. "Sorry I was late; I had a hard time finding this place, and the bouncer kept on refusing to let me in. I had to mention your name before he finally did."

Peter nodded back and placed is hand on Marz's lap, trying desperately to calm him. "Yeah, ever since we moved here, my employer and I have become quite known at this establishment, mostly through my employer's mate."

"I'm surprised, honestly; I didn't expect him to be interested in such a place."

Peter smirked. "Khan is a man of sophisticated taste, even in porn. His mate strips here every Wednesday, so he decided to fund it."

"I see. Does he come here to see his mate show off? Or is he worried about his reputation being tarnished?"

Peter shrugged. "He does, on occasion, but in back through a private booth. I would usually be back there with him, but he told me to take the rest of the night off, so I decided to relax a little and enjoy myself without his supervision."

Marz smiled, ruefully. "Indeed. I..." Just then, a pair of kats, one a yellow and tawny striped bear of a tabby, the other a brown, lean tom, walked up to their table, smiling happily.

"Hey, Peter," the tabby winked, seductively. "Who's your new friend?"

Peter smiled and waved an arm between Marz and the pair. "Marz, I'd like you to meet Jake and Chance, two of my employer's good friends. Jake, Chance, this is Marz, an old friend of mine from college."

Marz offered his hand in welcome, eying them both suspiciously. He could've sworn he looked familiar, but he couldn't place their faces.

Apparently, Jake had the same reaction. "I'm sorry to pry, but do we know you? You look awfully familiar..."

For a moment, Marz panicked, not sure how to respond. He wasn't sure what to make of the slim tom's statements, and hoped he didn't recognize him as his alter-ego, but shook his head, denyingly. "I had the same thought, honestly, but I don't think so. Maybe Peter showed you a pic of me a while ago and forgot about it?"

Peter glanced at Marz, suspiciously, but shrugged. "Possibly; I've been rather busy, lately, though I'd think I'd remember showing your face around to them."

"Same here," Chance mused. Shrugging back, he shook Marz's hand and patted him on the back, returning to his chipper attitude. "Ah, well, any friend of Peter's can't be all bad, huh?

Peter chuckled and nodded. "Oh, he's a sweet one, let me tell you."

Marz smiled, breathing a sigh of relief inwardly that his cover wasn't blown. "Hope you enjoy the shows here. This is my first time here, so I dunno what to expect."

Jake grinned and placed a hand on Chance's shoulder, warmly. "Oh, I'm sure you'll like it here." Just then, the lights dimmed, and the room fell in a hush. "Ooh, we better sit down. Feral's coming up, next."

That caught Marz's attention. "Feral? You mean former Enforcers commander Feral? He strips here?"

Chance nodded and smiled. "Yeah, has been ever since before he left the force, though I wouldn't spread that around, if I were you. If you'll excuse us..." With that, they left and sat back down at their own table, neither they nor Peter seeing Marz's dread on his face as he paled at the thought of seeing Feral strip. Actually, it was less seeing him strip than being recognized by him, considering how many times he had dealt with the former commander in the past. He never knew the commander to be stupid, and he already had his first close call of the night; he didn't want to deal with the possibility of Feral, of all people, catching sight of him.

Before he could do anything about it, though, the spotlights came on and Feral – dressed in a stylized version of his old commander's uniform – came onto the stage. Entranced, Marz sat still as the former commander made his rounds, dancing to the beat of the techno music coming from the speakers around the patrons, giving them brief glimpses of his rock-hard body. He seemed to stop for a good long while at the table Jake and Chance were sitting, showing them even more than he did the other patrons, indicating some sort of relationship going on beyond the confines of the club. However, it was when he finally arrived at his and Peter's table that Marz held his breath, praying to whatever god he worshiped that the former commander didn't recognize him. To his relief, the commander gave him the same odd look of semi-recognition that Jake and Chance gave him, but again, he shrugged and gyrated away, not paying the feline any mind.

When the show ended, Marz turned to Peter with a worried look in his eye. This time, Peter took notice. "What's wrong, hon?"

Marz shook his head, smiling a little in a vain attempt to look nonchalant. "Nothing. Just...he seemed to recognize me, as well. Am I that familiar to your friends?"

Peter shrugged and put his hand on Marz' shoulder. "You have a distinctive look. You probably just caught their attention, nothing more."

Marz sighed. _That's what I'm afraid of_. Still, he was comforted by the fact that they didn't pin his identity down, like he worried they would.

Suddenly, he felt himself being tugged out of his seat by Peter and led to the back of the club. "Where are you taking me, love?"

Peter smiled, warmly. "C'mon, I want to introduce you to Feral and my employer. I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you."

Panic gripped Marz's heart as he was led backstage. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

Peter looked back and frowned, confused. "Why so nervous, hon?"

Marz sighed and shrugged. "It's just...I dunno, we haven't seen each other in years, and here you are trying to show me off to your friends like I was a trophy, no offense. I just think we should take this a bit slower, is all."

Peter looked at his friend and sighed, as well, debating on what to do next. "If that's how you feel, hon, then I can understand. I was just hoping that introducing you to Khan would help you get a Job at the labs, is all."

Marz nodded and patted Peter on the back, smiling. "I know, but it's a bit too late in the night for that to happen, and besides, I didn't call you just for that."

Peter hummed and looked into Marz's eyes, seeing the fear and desperation in them. He looked terrible, much worse than he thought he was. Sighing gently, he nodded and walked back to their seats, sitting down as the next show started. Growling a little in impatience, Peter called the waiter over and ordered a rum and coke for himself, with Marz declining any drinks. Taking a deep sip of the liquid, Peter put down his glass and stared Marz right in the eye, concernedly. "So, what's are your mind, hon?"

Marz frowned and bit his lip, nervously. "I think you know what's on it, Peter, and I know it was on yours, as well, earlier tonight."

"The dream, you mean?" Peter asked, sighing wearily. "Are you still having them?"

Marz nodded, folding his hands together. "Hon, it nearly killed me, and it took your arm! That's not exactly something either of us can easily get past in a few short years."

Peter pursed his lips, placing a hand on Marz's, comfortingly. "Hon, I know it was hard on us. Believe me, I know just how hard it was. But you seriously need to let the past be and find your own way through life. Dwelling on it will just make you even more miserable."

Marz sighed and nodded, taking Peter's hand and gripping it gently. "I know. I just...I thought I'd never see you again afterward, you know? I though that, after the incident, my life was over, especially with you."

"I know, and for a time, so did I, but no offense, I moved past that, and now, it's inconsequential. We're here, now, together. We can't exactly go back to how things was, but we can try to start anew, if you're willing."

Marz looked up at Peter, a curious look on his face. "You mean that?"

Peter nodded. "I do. Let's just take it slow and figure some stuff out before then, like getting you a job. Then, we can work on being together again. Alright?"

Marz smiled and nodded, hugging his friend tight. "Alright. We'll try things your way. Just don't expect ol' Thunder Kat to come back, any time soon, okay?"

Peter giggled, nodding as he remembered his College nickname for the light tan tom. "I totally understand, hon, and I won't ask that of you, not until you're ready"

Smiling, Marz leaned in and kissed his old friend on the lips, sealing the deal for both of them. Unbeknownst to them, however, they were being washed from backstage by Feral, Chance, and Jake. The three toms stared at the duo, sternly, as Marz took his leave, giving Peter a big hug in thanks for his commitment to him. Humming in dour contemplation, Feral looked at the Swat Kats, concerned. "What do you think?"

Jake looked at the former commander, the same look of concern on his face. "It's Hard Drive, alright. No mistake about it."

"Should we nail him now, before he does anything to hurt Peter?" Chance asked, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

Feral went to say something, but was cut off by a deep, growling voice behind him. "I do not think he'll pose a threat to Peter, if he is who you say he is."

The trio looked back to see Shere Khan emerging from the shadows. Feral frowned and shook his head, in firm disagreement with his mate. "How do you figure, love? You don't know this scum like we do."

The tiger placed an arm on the tom's shoulder and waved an arm toward Peter, who was still enjoying the shows. "As I told you when I met your father during your brother's wedding, I can read kats, and he looks to be very sincere about his feelings toward Peter. They obviously have some sort of history together, a history that goes deeper than love and lust, to survival and loss. I suggest we look into this matter carefully, and figure out what we can sort out before Hard Drive can make his next move."

Jake glanced at the tiger, thoughtfully. "I suppose, but remember, this isn't your typical criminal. This is a metakat we're dealing with. If he even suspects something with us, you can kiss your tail goodbye with a lightning kiss."

Feral nodded and frowned. "I know, but we have to trust Khan on this one. Whatever their relationship is, we have to determine it, and figure out how it fits in Hard Drive's schemes. It's possible we can use it to our advantage."

"I dunno, Feral," Chance said, shaking his head. "I don't like leaving that maniac running free, especially so close around Peter."

Khan nodded and placed a hand on the chocolate-striped tabby, comfortingly. "I don't like it, either, if he truly is Hard Drive. However, right now there's nothing we can do but gather information and wait for him to make the next move. If I'm right, he won't make it as long as Peter is around to get harmed."

Feral nodded and hugged his mate warmly. "I hope you're right, love. I know how much Peter means to you."

Marz's spirits were high as he made his way back to the slums that were his home. He couldn't believe his luck back at the club; slipping past unnoticed by the former commander himself! If that wasn't a victory over ol' ironheart, he didn't know what was. He couldn't wait to tell the other metakats about his findings...

That thought stopped him cold. No, how could he go back to his old life when his old flame is offering him a new one? Sure, he originally planned on using him to gain access to the labs so he could rob the place, but now he's not only offering him a real job, one best suited for his technological genius, but also a new beginning with him, something he had always wanted since the accident.

A spark of pain and actual sparks from his right arm shattered that notion completely. No, he would never accept a freak like him, a freak who had done such horrible things in the interest of self-preservation. Peter may have lost an arm in the accident, but he became a metakat, a criminal, and that's something the tom could never accept him for. He looked down at his crackling appendage, wearily; everyone thought it was just his Surge Coat that gave him his power, and to a point they were right; in the beginning, it did allow him to do all the things he could do as Hard Drive. However, it was just a conduit, a regulator of his true power, and now those powers were growing out of control for even the Surge Coat to contain. Normally, he only unleashed low-voltage static electricity without his coat, but with the sparks and seizures he was undergoing as his powers fluctuated, he estimated four, five years before the coat could no longer handle the discharge and he burns out like a car battery being drained by a short circuit. He needed the tech at Khan Industries, there was no two ways about it, and going with the new plan Peter offered him was not an option for him.

As he thought to himself, he passed by a storefront ATM, causing him to stop. He wasn't kidding when he said he would be kicked out if the rent wasn't due, and while he was waiting for the perfect chance to hit the labs, he needed the money. Sighing to himself, he readied his powers and, looking around to make sure no one was around, shocked the hell out of the machine, causing it to spew bills all over the place. He smiled gently to himself as he quickly swiped up all of the money the machine produced, stuffing it in his pockets as he reminisced about his first couple of hits.

It was shortly after he discovered his powers that he started knocking over ATMs; he knew no one would hire him, a metakat, for legitimate work, so he had to improvise. And improvise he did, deciding to knock over some ATMs for some quick cash. It wasn't hard; with his powers and his knowledge of electronic equipment, he was able to crack open several of the machines and clear them out of money in seconds. For a long while, he was never caught, always one step ahead of the Enforcers as he made his rounds. It wasn't until he got a bit too greedy and made a stupid mistake that he was finally caught and arrested, though not by the Swat Kats. That would come much later.

After months of jail time, he was broken free by what seemed like an anonymous benefactor – the identity of whom he still had no idea, though he had his suspicions – and lead to an abandoned warehous full of gadgets and other assorted tech. The benefactor, impressed with his powers and seeing the potential for carnage from them, offered him an opportunity to move past petty theft and into the big time. It was tempting, too tempting for a criminal like the newly-coined Hard Drive to pass up, and he accepted, using the tech to build his first Surge Coat. From then on, he attempted to prove himself in the Metakat criminal underground, striking at bigger and badder tech supply companies, even going after the Enforcers and the Swat Kats on occasion, , but only doing as much carnage as was necessary for him to slip out with the goods. Sometimes it worked, oftentimes the Swat Kats nailed him, but he managed to make a lucrative living for himself, regardless. Hell, he was lucky he focused mainly on theft, instead of sheer destruction and loss of life as his companions in the metakat community did, as it at least gave him leniency with the courts when he was captured.

Now, though, as he stuffed the last of the bills into his pockets, he began wondering how his life could've turned out had he gone with Peter, had Peter stayed with him until he woke up, but again, he quashed the idea as his powers flared up again, this time being much easier to calm than before. As he reminded himself, he was a freak, someone that Peter would never accept in his life, and he needed to realize that before he dragged both of them into hot water.

_ So, I stick with the old plan,_ he thought to himself, bitterly, forcefully willing the sparking in his arm to subside. _I don't like it, if it means hurting the one I love, but that can't be helped, now. It's do or die time, now, and I'm not about to lose it when I'm so close to salvation._

With that, he found an old power line and, using his power, transferred himself into an electric current through it, traveling the swift way home.

The next few days were hectic for Khan and the others; they had a plan to trap Hard Drive, and a means of doing so, but keeping it a secret from Peter was going to be tough. He was the key; Khan was convinced the metakat had some sort of history with his assistant, and was determined to use it to figure out Hard Drive's plan for him and the labs. To that end, he settled on a daring plan; he'd set up an interview for 'Marz' as a way of gathering intel on the kat, forwarding it whatever information he found out to his mate to be transferred to the Enforcers for analysis. Feral, meanwhile, will have the Swat Kats be on call for any suspicious movements 'Marz' makes in the lab. It was a perfect set-up, and it all started at the interview...

"Name?"

"Marz Raikou, sir."

"Age"

"28."

"Address?"

"264 East Wincheshire Alley."

The droning voice of the interviewer – an old kat secretary who seemed more out of it than a stoner in a field of catnip – was starting to grate on Marz's temperament. Fortunately, after a few more monotone questions, the interview wrapped up... or so he thought.

"That does it. Wait here for the boss to call you in."

Marz blinked, confused. "Wait, I thought you were giving the interview?"

The old tom shrugged. "Usually I am, but the boss wants to see you, personally. Something about being referred to him by a trusted employee of his. Just wait here for him to call your name, it'll be the last door at the back of the hall. Next!"

Marz started to panic; he never expected to meet the boss so soon. He figured he could slip under the radar for a few weeks as he assessed the situation and plotted his heist, but this... He didn't have time to finish that thought, as a gruff, growling voice that shook him to the core with its assertiveness called his name. In a split decision, he couldn't decide whether to do as he was told or flee the area, abandoning the mission he had set up. A wince as his left arm contracted with a faint staticky sound reminded him of why he came, and made the decision for him. Gravely, he got up and walked into the jaws of doom...

The boss...was huge. There was no other way of describing him. An imposingly large tiger sat across from him, the business suit he wore barely containing the massive body within as he stared at the smaller cat with a keen, intimidating eye. Marz's ears flattened as he questioned the feasibility of his plan, now, but all thoughts fled him when the tiger spoke.

"You do know why you are here, do you?"

Marz stammered a little before collecting his thoughts, almost grateful he didn't eat any breakfast before the interview as he most certainly would've soiled his pants by the tone of the tiger's voice alone. "Ye-yes sir. I need a job, you are offering one, and I was told I was referred to you by one of your employees, which is why you wanted to see me in person."

The tiger smiled imperceptibly, enjoying intimidating the metakat immeasurably. "That is correct. I believe you know of this employee; his name is Peter Collins."

Marz smiled back as Peter's name was said, thanking the gods his friend didn't screw with him. "I do, sir. He and I go way back."

"Really?" the tiger mused with interest. "Tell me, how do you know him?"

Marz gulped as he stared at the tiger, trying to come up with a suitable lie to tell the tiger, but knowing that those piercing eyes would catch any that he told. So, in an uncharacteristic move for him, he said the only thing he could say: the blatant truth. "He and I went to Megakat U. several years ago; I was studying electical engineering while he was majoring in computer programming. We ended up becoming roommates, and together, we made an unstoppable team in the computer and electronic science department."

The tiger glared at him for a few moments, looking for any hint of deception, but finally relented and nodded, satisfied. "I see. And, did you and he graduate from this college?"

Marz sighed, knowing where this was going, but not wanting to reveal more than he already had. "No, sir. There was an...accident at the school that incapacitated us and destroyed a key laboratory. Had it not happened, we probably would've been working at Pumadyne or some other high-tech place."

The tiger nodded and hummed, gently, disseminating what he just heard in his mind. _An incident at Megakat U., eh? That is definitely something that needs to be investigated further._ Filing that bit of information away for later, he stared at the younger kat, scanning him over with a cultured, predatory eye. "I see. Normally, I don't hire people unless they're the top of their class, but from the sound of it, you were getting there, anyway. And Peter speaks highly of you. Tell you what; I'll give you a low-level apprentice job at the labs, for the next few weeks. If you do well there, we'll see about a more permanent solution to your unemployment issues. Does that sound fair?"

Marz locked eyes on the tiger, not letting him know he was cursing his luck on the inside. _Low-level apprentice work? That won't get me anywhere near where I need to go in the labs. Still, it's better than nothing, I suppose, and as long as I can keep up this charade and play my cards right, I may be able to get the info I need to make the heist._ Coming to a decision, he nodded firmly. "Yes, sir. I thank you for this opportunity. I won't let you down."

The tiger growled deep enough to send shivers down Marz's spine. "You better not, young lad; I'm a harsh master on those under my employ who do."

Marz quivered a little in fear as he caught the double entendre in the tiger's words. Fortunately, the tiger cut him loose before any further scaring could happen, and despite the low-level position he was granted, Marz was happy that things were going smoothly for him.

As the tan tom left, Khan flicked on his phone and called Feral at home, tapping his claws on the desk as he waited for his mate to pick up. "Feral, this is Khan... Yes, hon, I know it's early for me to call, but I've got some news about our boy Marz... Yes , stage one is complete, and I've got some info for you to check out. Do you know anything about an incident involving Megakat University...?"

Later that night, Marz got a call from Peter, asking about his interview. Apparently, to his dismay, news traveled fast in Khan Industries. Informing the one-armed kat about his acceptance into the labs, Peter squealed in joy and insisted they talk about it over dinner. Smiling, Marz donned his best casual outfit and made a beeline to the restaurant Peter suggested they meet at, the same restaurant they had lunch together at, days earlier. As he entered the fancy building, he couldn't help but feel rather small and insignificant next to the bigwigs that were dining there, almost as if he was ashamed of eating in their presence. Cursing inwardly, he reminded himself of why he was there and what he had staked in it and sat down at a table, ordering some rotisserie chicken for himself. A few moments later, Peter showed up, flagging the tom down and sitting across from him at the same table, ordering a salad and shrimp.

As they waited for their orders to arrive, Peter asked how the interview went. When Marz told him about the entry-level apprenticeship, Peter could barely contain his glee.

"That's wonderful, love! Congratulations. When are you going to be starting?"

Marz shrugged and took a sip of water. "I wasn't given a date, but I'm suspecting I'll be asked to come in in a few days. What got me confused about the interview is that the boss himself decided to conduct the interview."

Peter blinked and stared at the tom, quirking an eyebrow as their food was served. "A large tiger with a booming voice?"

Marz nodded, taking another sip of water before turning to his food. "Yeah, that's the one."

Peter hummed as he picked up his fork, his eyebrow raising higher. "That's Khan. I'm surprised he took the time out of his schedule to interview you personally."

"Well, he did say that you referred me to him, so maybe he thought that if anyone has potential to be a decent enough worker, it's a friend of someone as dedicated to his work as you are." The tom reached down to pick up his own fork, only to jerk back in pain as his powers flared up again, arching a bolt of static from his fingers to the metal utensil. It wasn't enough to cause a spectacle, but it was enough to cause him to flinch and caused Peter to notice.

"Another bout of static?" Peter queried, worriedly. "You seem to be having a problem with that, lately. I thought 'Thunder Kat' wasn't making a reappearance, yet."

Marz smirked thinly and willed his powers to settle, thankful that they chose not to go farther than a small spark. "It's nothing, just something the docs said I'll have to live with..."

Peter stared at his old friend, not sure what to think. "What do you mean?"

Marz sighed and put his hands down, being careful not to touch anything metal. "Since the accident, I've been getting random twitches and sparks of static. The docs say the accident must've affected my fur to be especially sensitive to static. As far as I know the changes are permanent."

Peter looked down at Marz's hand, which was still trembling from the shock it gave. He could believe it; when the doctors had to amputate his arm after the accident, he was told the nerves in it were going so haywire that it was impossible to calm them. "I'm sorry to hear that, hon." :He grabbed his right shoulder, trembling a little himself in sadness. "I guess that incident changed both of us, hadn't it?"

Marz nodded and tentatively picked up his fork, breathing a sigh of relief that his powers finally calmed themselves. "Like you wouldn't believe, Peter. Anyway, I hope this job goes smoothly for me. I'd hate to screw it up like last time..." He looked up to see Peter staring at him, eyebrow quirked again in confusion. He realized what he had said and cleared his throat. "My last job didn't do me any favors, sadly. Only lasted a few months before I got fired. Not pleasant, I can assure you; kept getting shot down in my attempts to get ahead."

Peter nodded and dug into his shrimp, smiling. "Well, hopefully that won't be the case, this time. As long as you keep your nose clean and do your best, I'm sure you'll do just fine."

_Yeah, keep my nose clean,_ Marz thought to himself, ruefully, taking a bite out of his chicken. "Don't worry, I'm sure with my skills, it won't take me long to get myself in the right position to succeed in the labs. Speaking of, I'm surprised you haven't tried to get some help with your condition from the labs, yet."

Peter frowned a little in insult, looking at his limbless shoulder. "Something I have to live with, as well, I guess; docs said that the nerves all along my arm were totally shot, pretty much useless. Any prosthetics I could use either irritate the area or can't get through the bad nerves to connect to the good."

Marz nodded, sullenly, as he realized what that meant. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

Peter just shrugged. "I learned to live with it, though Khan said the company's working on a revolutionary new device that could help me out."

That got Marz's attention. "Oh? How so?"

"They're experimenting with high-level conductive metals and other electrostatic devices in order to help stimulate the damaged nerves for possible repair. Right now, it's just a prototype, but it looks promising."

Marz nodded, making mental note of that bit of information for later. "Ah, I see. Well, let's hope it works out for you; I would love to see you with two working arms again."

Peter sighed and nodded, smiling thinly. "Yeah, so do I."

Realizing he had depressed his lover, Marz reached out and took his hand, gripping it tightly with love. As he did so, a rumbling through his arm alerted him to another electric shock coming,on, but it was too late for him to will it to stop. With a *bzzap!*, a somewhat larger bolt of static than the one that he produced earlier went through his arm and into Peter's, causing both parties to jump in surprise. But instead of yelping in pain, Peter just purred and gripped Marz's hand tighter. With a smile and wink, Peter leaned over and kissed Marz on the cheek, letting him know he wasn't hurt by the bolt, something that confused Marz, but ultimately chalked up to their previous playtimes together. "I guess Thunder Kat's back on, huh?" he asked, warmly.

At Khan Towers, Feral was meeting with the building's namesake in his bedroom suite, reporting on what he had learned from Marz's interview.

"Apparently, there was an explosion in one of the university's electronics labs. Two people were injured; Marz Raikou and Peter Collins. Collins lost his right arm, while Marz was in a coma for most of the year. After he woke up, Marz vanished, and there was no more contact made with Collins after he was discharged."

Khan frowned and rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. "Well, that explains Mr. Collins' missing arm. I've meant to ask him about it, but it was always clear from the beginning that he didn't care to explain himself about it. Do you know what caused the explosion?"

Feral shook his head. " The best the investigators could tell, the main Van de Graaff Generator in the lab overcharged and detonated. Except for Marz's and Peter's prints, the only fresh prints that the forensics department could find were those of the headmaster." He frowned and started pacing. "What's odd is that, shortly after Marz woke up, the headmaster was found dead in a similar lab, electrocuted to death."

That caught Khan's attention. "Interesting. You think the two are related?"

Feral shrugged. "Perhaps, though there's no evidence to prove it. It would make sense, though; The accident is probably where Marz gained the powers he has as Hard Drive, and after losing those many months and Peter's arm to such a suspicious explosion, he likely thought the headmaster was to blame for it; his record does show several complaints of abuse by the homosexual students there during his tenure."

Khan blinked and quirked an eyebrow at his mate, curiously. "I thought it was known his powers came from that Surge Coat of his. You're telling me that it's actually internal?"

Feral nodded, grousing. "That's the typical belief on the street, but I've seen him use his powers in jail. It's become harder and harder to cage him, because of it."

Khan hummed at that, thinking. Suddenly, his eyes widened, turning to his computer and calling up a manifest of the products his lab was producing. "I thought as much. My labs are currently producing bioelectrical equipment and artificial organs and limbs for medical research. Perhaps he's looking for a way to better control his powers..."

"It's possible," Feral shrugged, frowning. "last I heard, it was getting harder for him to control his powers in jail without his Surge Coat on. I doubt it, though; it's likely something that a rival of yours ordered him to steal, to get one up on you in the medical competition."

"Perhaps, but we should not rule anything out, just yet. I have him scheduled to start his apprenticeship at the start of next week. I'll have the guards lax around long enough to give him brief windows of opportunity to skulk about and do what he has planned without security being useless. If things go well, we should be able to catch him in the act soon enough."

Feral sighed and sat down beside his mate, folding his arms in displeasure. " I hope you're right about this, hon. I don't want you having to bear an actual theft from that scum."

Khan frowned and gave his mate a stern look. "If we are to determine what his goals are, we must play the roles that he has set us up to play, and we must be prepared for when he does make his move. To do anything else would be presumptuous of us and risks putting Peter in danger. I can't risk that."

Feral nodded and hugged his mate, warmly. "I know, hon. I know. I just hope this all works out."

The weekend, as it turned out, was rather uneventful for all parties. Peter and Marz hung out as much as they could between Peter's work hours, catching up on old times. Marz, for his part, managed to keep his anticipation in check as he counted down the hours to his new "job". It was hard on him, not having his Surge Coat to keep his powers under control, but somehow he managed to do so with little issues, only accidentally sparking a few times during his meetings with his friend. Peter, on the other hand, was getting more and more worried about the tan tom's health, each spark and sizzle emitting from Marz sparking a pang of remorse from him. Eventually, things came to a head when, hanging out at Peter's suite Sunday night, the tabby asked a strange question.

"Hey, Marz? Do you ever regret what we did at college?"

Marz looked up at his friend and quirked an eyebrow, confused. "What do you mean, hon?:

Peter glanced over at Marz and shrugged, sighing. "The times we had sex in the lab. If it wasn't for those, we likely wouldn't have had the accident."

Marz stared at his friend for a few minutes, then shook his head, dourly. "I don't think so. There was something else that happened, something that someone didn't want us to know."

The tabby blinked and propped himself up on one elbow. "What'cha talking about?"

"I mean the headmaster. You've heard the complaints about him by the gay students there. I'm sure he found out about what we were doing and did something to the coil to cause it to explode."

Peter stared at Marz, disbelievingly. "How do you know for sure?"

"I can't say," Marz lied, sighing frustratingly. "All I know is that he did it. He had to have. There's no other explanation I can think of for it."

"Hon, you're starting to sound like a conspiracy theorist. You don't know for certain that it was him."

"Yes, I do. He had to have; the coil was working perfectly the last time we played with it, and we both know our way around it, so there was no way we could've messed up on it."

Peter wasn't convinced. "But why would he do something so cruel like that? What did he hope to gain?"

Marz glared at his friend, sighing. "I dunno. I think he was both pissed off at us being gay and messing around in the labs, and jealous of our talents. You remember when he kept on putting us in detention for no apparent reason, right?"

Peter nodded, biting his lip. "Yeah, the guy kept insisting it was because we were causing problems and being a bad influence on the other students, but we were graduating the top of our class. You think he'd really be so jealous and disgusted at us that he would actually try to kill us?"

Marz shrugged. "You've heard the reports; the bastard was capable of anything."

Peter nodded and frowned, thinking about something. "What happened to him, anyway?"

"He died," Marz said, simply. "Or, at least, that's what I hear. Similar kind of accident that we were in. In my opinion, the guy deserved it."

"I don't doubt that, if he did sabotage the coil," Peter replied, pointedly."Right now, it's all hearsay. I heard our case went cold."

"Yeah, it did. So did the one with the headmaster. Look, no offense, but can we get off the subject, now? I'm not too comfortable talking about it, right now."

Peter nodded and patted Marz on the back, comfortingly. "Sure, I don't mind. So, what do you want to talk about, now?"

Marz smirked and laid back, thinking to himself. "Well, what have you been up to, during my absence? I see you've made a name for yourself at Khan Industries. Found any hunky guys there that you liked?"

Peter blushed and nodded. "Yes, I did. Actually, you met him when you had your interview."

"You don't mean..." Marz blinked, mouth agape as Peter nodded, confirming his suspicions. "Well, talk about sleeping with the boss. Bet he was pounding your ass pretty good in the back room."

"Actually, it was the copy room," Peter corrected, smiling. "And it was the other way around."

That got Marz's attention. "Really, now? You, such a little tabby, taking the ass of that big, bad-ass tiger? Now that I would love to see."

Peter blushed and grinned, beeping Marz's nose with a finger. "I think I can arrange that; he and I still sleep together on occasion, despite him being mated. He and his mate have an...interesting relationship going on."

Marz giggled and patted his friend's hand, warmly. "I would like that. Though, I'm surprised you aren't mated to him, right now."

Peter's disposition turned a little sour at that. "Believe me, he tried, but...he wasn't the right one for me. Not like you are."

Marz frowned, noting the dour turn of his friend's attitude. "Don't tell me you were pining for me all this time..." Peter nodded, solemnly. The tan tom hugged the tabby, tenderly. "Oh, hon, you shouldn't have. Like you said, we didn't know when I was going to wake up, and you had moved on with your life by the time I did. Just because I was your first, doesn't mean I had to be your only one."

Peter nodded, biting his lip a little in shame. "I know, but I couldn't help it. I...I love you, Marz. I always have, and I think I always will. I know I said I had moved on, but when it came to you...I can't. I just can't..." He gripped Marz tight, burying his head in his shoulder as he started crying.

Marz mrewled and snuggled the tabby tight, shushing him in an attempt to calm him down."It's alright, hon. It's alright. I understand. I never stopped thinking of you either, honestly. I...I don't think I could've survived for much longer without you."

Peter looked up at his friend and gave a weak smile, before kissing Marz tenderly on the lips. Marz, caught off guard, blinked a few times at the kiss before returning it in kind, rubbing his friend's sides with his hands. For a long while, he forgot entirely about his mission or his old metakat identity as he melted into Peter's embrace, making out with the tabby with all his heart. Peter, in turn, was just happy to be in his lover's embrace again, and moved his arm down to grip and fondle Marz's ass, gently, causing him to meep in amused shock. Grinning, he pressed himself tighter against Peter's body, lightly stroking his sides and thighs gently in response. That was all the encouragement Peter needed; slipping his hands underneath Marz's waistband, he felt around before his hand landed on the tom's package, fondling it gently. Marz let out a gasp as he was groped, grinding into the paw needingly as he explored his lover's body.

After a few moments of this, both kats were full hard and pressing against the tight fabric of their pants, just waiting to be released. Peter, his hand still occupied with Marz's girth, leaned back a little to give room for the tom to undo his pants, an offer Marz quickly obliged. As he undid the snap and unzipped the fly, Peter's husky foot-long member sprang to life, surprising Marz at his lack of underwear. Glancing up at his lover inquisitively, all he got was a giggle, shrug and kiss as Peter started undoing his pants, smiling slyly as he saw the velvety leather fabric of what was clearly a thong.

"I guess we both have interesting choices of underwear, huh?" Marz smirked, playfully.

Peter's giggle died down to a chuckle. "You can blame Khan for my lack thereof; he gets so horny when we play around it's impossible to keep anything on."

"I can bet. Speaking of..." Marz growled, mischievously, and pounced his lover, pinning him down on the bed as he started stripping Peter's clothes off. In spite of the lack of an arm, Peter's body was just as perfect as Marz had remembered it; a swimmer's build, looking almost like an otter with his height, and gorgeously handsome. It was no wonder Feral found him attractive... or why he found him so dominant; there was an authority beneath the meekness, a type of no-nonsense attitude that just exuded from every muscle of his being. His crotch didn't help matters any, either; the long, thick slab of male meat hung semi-limply in Peter's lap, adorned with its fair share and more of a kat's typical penile barbs, while his orange-sized balls laid deftly between his thighs, just waiting to be juiced by a skilled tongue and mouth. With difficulty, Peter also stripped Marz of his clothing, exposing his own taut body to his gaze; more chubby than Peter was, he was nonetheless fit and stern in frame, being somewhat more muscular than his smaller counterpart. Adorned on both nipples were a pair of metal hoops, with more lining his urethra and golf ball-sized testicles, and piercing the underside of his glans. Peter smiled as the memories came flooding back; Marz had such piercings even before they met, and were perfect contact points for their e-stim games, something that Peter theorized was done on purpose, given Marz's addiction to the electric tingle they produced in his nether regions.

Growling in unbridled lust at the sight of his naked lover, Marz stooped down and began tracing his tongue around the length of Peter's shaft, eliciting a moan from the tabby. The taste was just as delectable as he remembered it, a salty-sweet concoction of sweat, musk and precum that tingled the senses and intoxicated the taste buds. It was more than Marz could stand as he slowly took the kat's member into his mouth and started going down on him, sucking hungrily on the length of flesh like a kitten suckling on his mother. Peter, looking down at his lover, smirked broadly and placed his hand on the back of Marz's head, guiding him on his cock as the tom bobbed up and down its length.

After a few minutes of this ministration, Marz decided to take it a bit further; sliding his mouth off of Peter's length, he took one of his fingers and stuck it in his mouth, wetting it generously before moving it to the underside of the tabby's tail, pressing it gently against his puckered bud. Feeling the digit against his tailhole, Peter moaned and relaxed himself, allowing it to slide easily into him as Marz resumed his suckling on his cock. One finger quickly turned to two as Marz started pumping in and out of Peter's ass, his lustful growling sending rumblings through the tabby's cock. Finally, a third finger was added, and Marz quickly picked up a rhythm with his fingers and his mouth, going down each time he pulled out, and pushing in whenever he drew his lips upward. This dual pistoning quickly brought Peter on-edge, but for some reason, it wasn't enough to push him over.

That is, until Marz's powers chose that time to malfunction, again.

With a wince, Marz unwittingly discharged a mild bolt of static from his fingers deep into Peter's anus, shocking his insides and causing his sphincter to spasm. However, instead of pain, Peter cried out in pleasure as a huge glob of precum spurted in Marz's mouth. Marz barely got a chance to pause, contemplating the consequences of his actions, when Peter pushed his hand against the back of his head again and gave out a cry of "Spark me again, Thunder Kat!", indicating a clear desire to be shocked again. Grinning in deviousness, he slowly charged up his fingers and tongue, releasing short, low-voltage, random bolts of static from both as he administrated to Peter's crotch area, carefully controlling the bolts to make it seem like his "condition" was causing it instead of his powers. That seemed to do the trick; with each spark, Peter started preing heavier and heavier into Marz's mouth until finally, with a last, stronger burst of static to his prostate, Peter came, spilling what seemed like a lifetime of salty kat cream down Marz's throat. It was almost too much for the tom to drink, but he had much experience with taking Peter, so he was able to quickly compensate and take the full load down his gullet.

Looking up as he sucked the last dregs of cum from Peter's member, Marz saw a very exhausted but satisfied tabby laying on the bed, staring back at him with a grin. "I could get used to your condition, if it causes that to happen," he huffed, eagerly. Marz smiled back, a hint of saddened betrayal in his eyes that Peter thankfully didn't catch. _Thought I doubt you'd want to..._ Getting up, he repositioned himself into a straddling position over Peter's chest and head, stroking himself as he got close to his own orgasm. Knowing what the kat wanted, Peter reached up and did the same thing he was given, wetting his own fingers to shove underneath Marz's tail as he sucked the tom off, ravishingly. While he didn't have the powers Marz had, Peter was still able to make the kat's groin tingle with his ministrations, dexterously pawing and sucking until, with a final cry of pleasure, Marz shot his own load into Peter's mouth, the warm tongue and mouth milking him dry.

Once his balls were fully emptied into his lover, Marz rolled off Peter and cuddled up close beside him, snagging the tabby into a warm embrace. They kissed, tasting their own seed in each other's mouth, enjoying the flavor of their mixed contributions. Both kats purred as they hugged each other tight, letting the warmth of each other's body calm them in their afterglow.

Peter looked at his lover and smiled, kissing him gently on the lips. "I love you, Marz. I don't think I could ever spend another day without you, from now on."

Marz blinked, a little unsure of what to say to that. Now that the haze of lust had left his brain and he was thinking more clearly, he thought back to his old life, his life as Hard Drive, and the life Peter was offering him now...and he was conflicted. His time as Hard Drive had hurt a lot of people and caused a lot of destruction and thefts, and now he's using Peter to instigate yet another heist. Knowing Peter was completely ignorant about his past since the accident, and now knowing he still lived him and wanted to be with him, tore at his heart. He knew that, if Peter ever found out about his lifestyle, that would be the end; their relationship would be dashed, and anything that could've happened between them would be lost.

At the same time, though, Peter's declaration of love for him made him question returning to his old lifestyle. He knew it would be impossible to not return, to forget that his time as Hard Drive ever happened and return to loving Peter the way he wanted, but the moment those words of declaration of love to him slipped from Peter's lips, his heart melted. He couldn't just turn his back on this, just as he couldn't turn his back on his life as Hard Drive. He _wanted_ this; he wanted to be with Peter, to kiss and hold and caress and make love to him every single chance he got, to be his mate, to love him like Peter loved him back.

Peter, finally noticing his lover's indecision, tilted his head a little in confusion. "Hon? What is it? What's wrong?"

Blinking, Marz snapped out of his musings and gave a weak shrug and a thin smile. "Nothing. It's just...it's been a long time since we've done this, Peter. It feels good but weird, at the same time."

Peter frowned and shook his head, not buying it. "You can't fool me, Marz; you're worried about something. What is it?"

Marz sighed and curled up, biting his lip a little in consternation. "It's just...you've made a name for yourself, working for Khan, and I haven't, at least not the kind of name you'd want me to make for myself. I haven't kept a steady job in years, I've been running around this city, getting into trouble...I'm not the kind of guy I used to be, anymore, and I don't think you'd want that as a mate."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Just little tiffs, here and there. Typical zap in, get into a little mayhem with some locals, and zap out." He laughed half-heartedly at the joke he made. "I guess you could say that I've turned into a bit of a bad boy since you've been gone."

Peter hugged him tight and looked into his eyes. "Hon, listen to me: whatever trouble you might've gotten into, I don't believe it's your fault, and I don't believe you meant any harm by it. Whatever happened, I'll still be here for you, you'll never lose me. You got that, Thunder Kat?"

Marz stared at his lover for a few moments before finally smiling, holding him close. "Yes, sir."

Marz's first couple of months on the job was largely uneventful, giving the tom a sense of confidence as he made note of every bit of surveillance and security upgrade they made, since his bold attempt at a break-in over a month ago. Interestingly, his position as an apprentice gave him much deeper access to the labs than he initially thought, and he didn't have to go too far out of his way to spy out the situation. The guards, while doubled from their original number and still as highly-trained and heavily-armed as usual, were still spread out pretty thin along the building's floors, and he discovered several flaws in the sensors and alarms that made up the automatic security system for him to exploit with his powers. Pretty soon, he had a good diagram of what to expect during his next impromptu visit, and where to hit them for maximum impact with minimum risk.

The prizes he saw were pretty sweet, as well; state-of-the-art biomechanical devices and electronic medical gear were being researched and built, all miles above what even Pumadyne and the Metallikats could ever hope to see. Artificial limbs, respirators, artificial organs, sensory equipment, monitors, even experimental electro-stimulation devices for nerve-damaged patients were in the works. It was the latter of which he was most fascinated with; from what his superior told him, they were highly experimental and ran off the body's own bioelectrical field, allowing it to bypass or stimulate damaged nerve endings for victims of severe burns, chemical attacks, or – what Marz wanted to hear – electrical shocks. Combined with sensors built into artificial limbs or organs, they could use the body's own nervous system to render someone fully functional again.

_Perfect, _the tabby thought to himself, smiling. _With some tweaks to that technology, I should be able to cure these blasted seizures of mine and increase my powers without the Surge Coat tenfold. Even the Swat Kats will end up kneeling before me!_

Such thoughts faded, though, when he passed by the artificial limb factory on his tour, and saw a perfectly manufactured and free-moving robotic right arm being tested for grip strength and sensitivity. Once he saw that, his thoughts turned immediately to Peter and his missing arm, and how such technology could be used to benefit him, as well. He then remembered what Peter had said about the nerves in his right shoulder, and he furrowed his brow in concern. Again, doubt gripped his mind as he began to question his commitment to the plan, but quickly shoved those doubts aside as he continued his recon of the labs.

Meanwhile, at Khan Towers, Khan, Feral, Chance and Jake – the latter two in their personas of the Swat Kats – were listening in on a play-by-play of Marz's movements through the labs by the head security guard, making note of all of the places and devices he stopped to question his supervisor on.

Chance – T-Bone – folded his arms and whistled in surprise. "Man, Mr. Khan, you're sure taking an awful risk letting that freak into such a secure area like this."

Feral growled and pointed at the Swat Kat, deftly. "May I remind you that you are here at our request? And as for Khan's plan..."

"As for my plan," Khan cut in, glancing at his mate in slight irritation. "I have it all under control. I requested you here to give us your assessment of what he might have planned for another heist. As such, what do you think, Razor?"

Razor frowned and rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. "My best guess would be that he'll go after those electro-stim devices your company is building; with those, he could increase the power of his Surge Coat immeasurably. Even we might not be able to stop him, if that turns out to be the case, and he gets his hands on them."

"Or maybe he could make use of his powers without that coat," Feral pointed out, frowning. "Remember, I've seen him outside of his coat after you ruffians capture him, and I can tell you right now his shock value, while diminished without it, is still very much present even out of it. What I don't get is why he's showing interest in the artificial limb production line."

Khan frowned and started to talk, but another voice interrupted him, filled with anger and disappointment. "It's because of me, sirs."

Peter was sitting at his desk, bored. It wasn't often that he would have nothing to do, but now was one of those times; he had finished the paperwork Khan had him do a few hours early, and with the tiger meeting with his mate up in his office, there wasn't going to be any new assignments offered to him, any time, soon. Sighing, he stretched out and put his feet on his desk, staring out the window and daydreaming about Marz. The tom was kind and decent to him, but curiously aloof with his past. He couldn't see Marz as a bad boy, far from it, but there was something off about his demeanor, something hidden behind his words and eyes that made him wonder just what was going on with the guy. _Maybe he's just uncomfortable with dating me, after all these years,_ he thought, wryly. _Maybe he's ashamed because he didn't make it big in life like I did, and feels embarrassed for dating someone of a higher caliber as him._

The familiar roar of the Turbokat's engines snapped him out of his musings as it flew into a hovering position above the tower. As it landed, Peter blinked and looked out the window, looking for what crisis was happening to bring the Swat Kats in to their center of business. He didn't have long to find out as T-Bone and Razor barged into the office, somewhat hurriedly.

"We're here on request of Shere Khan." T-Bone growled, hastily. "Will you let him know we're here?"

Peter stood there, agape, as he was addressed by the duo, but did as he was asked, flicking on the intercom and announcing the Swat Kats' arrival to his boss. After a moment, he was ordered to let them in, and he did so, watching them walk through the doors into Khan's personal suite. At first, he tried to go back to whatever semblance of work he could manage, but something kept him back, something about the Swat Kats' arrival that unnerved him. Frowning, he flicked a few switches on the intercom, tapping into the one in Khan's office to allow him to listen in on their conversations without Khan knowing. He didn't use it too often, not wanting to incur the tiger's wrath for spying on him, but on this occasion, something told him to do it, despite the risk.

What he heard astounded and enraged him.

"So, you think Hard Drive was involved in the attack on the headmaster of his college, after the incident?" Razor asked Feral, curiously.

Feral nodded. "There's no doubt about it; the fingerprints found at the crime scene were distorted and almost unusable, but matching them to Hard Drive's showed enough of a match to provide no doubt; he and Marz Raikou are one and the same, and he was responsible for the headmaster's death."

T-Bone growled, cracking his knuckles in frustration. "That isn't like Hard Drive; he's more interested in theft than destruction and death. Are you sure it's him?"

"I'm sure, T-Bone, and honestly I can't blame him; evidence reexamined from the site of the incident that created Hard Drive showed strong evidence that the headmaster was indeed the one who sabotaged the Van de Graaff Generator that exploded. I believe he used his powers to get revenge on the headmaster for the attempted murder."

Razor nodded, humming in doubt. "That still doesn't explain why he's after the tech in Khan Industries' labs, or why he's getting so buddy-buddy with Peter."

"Peter and Marz were good friends, probably lovers," Khan noted, pointedly. "Likely they haven't seen each other for so long, they don't know about the other's life after the incident. Peter always told me that I wasn't his first, so I'm assuming it was Marz that popped his proverbial cherry. If that's the case, he's probably playing it cool and avoiding conflict to prevent Peter from being hurt when he does try to steal my company's tech."

"And that makes him even more dangerous than before," Feral continued, frowning. "If we start getting on his or Peter's case about this, either one of them could crack and warn the other about our intentions, and blow the whole plan sky-high. Hard Drive might even try to use Peter as a hostage to keep us at bay."

Khan growled at that suggestion, aghast at such a proposition. "I don't think he would go that far...but we can't take the risk, either way. We'll wait until he makes his move at the lab, then swoop in to strike. We can't let him and Peter get together any more, if your theories are correct, lest we put Peter in danger."

That did it; standing up, Peter balled his hand into a fist and stormed toward the doors to Khan's office, determined to clear this mess up once and for all...

"Peter!" Khan gasped, surprised, staring at shock as the one-armed tabby pushed his way past the Swat Kats and to the tiger's desk. Swinging his arm back, he decked the tiger across the jaw; not a slap, but a full-fledged punch, sending Khan reeling back in pain.

"How dare you accuse my friend and lover of being such a horrible criminal!" Peter yelled, furiously. "How dare you, sir, threaten to separate us in a haphazard conspiracy theory!" The Swat Kats jumped on him after a few brief moments of stunned silence, only to get thrown off by the smaller kat,.

It took Feral to finally push the tabby back. "And how dare you punch _my_ mate! Do you know what you've just done?"

"Do you know what _you've_ just done, sir?" Peter shouted back, eyes welling up with angry tears. "You have no right to accuse my lover to be Hard Drive; you have no proof, just speculation and circumstantial evidence that won't hold an ounce of water in court. And now you're not only planning on arresting him for no good reason but to also divide us for my sake? Who are you to say who I can and cannot have for my lover?"

"_Enough!_" Khan bellowed, rubbing his chin in the process. He glared daggers into the smaller feline, more hurt by the accusations than he was at the punch. "Peter, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into, and even we have only a vague idea of it, ourselves. This is purely a reconnaissance mission to determine what course of action to take if and when the worst happens, nothing more!"

"And what action would that be, sir?" Peter asked, in angry sarcasm. "You said it yourself, you do not wish Marz and me to be together as long as your fruitless accusations of his criminality continue. Are you really going to try and separate us? Are you really going to keep the only other love of your life from pursuing the love of _his?_"

The room went silent as the group mulled over that question. After a few minutes, Khan looked up, stared Peter right in the eye, and nodded. "If he is what we believe him to be...yes, for your own safety, we have to keep you away from him."

Peter stood there, fuming, unable to come up with a proper response to that; he knew that Khan was a sweetheart at heart, and always had his and his loved ones' best interests in mind. It showed even in his ruthless business practices; even though they seemed harsh to outsiders, once you were in the fold you quickly discovered they were fair and well-meaning, with plenty of compensation for all. So in the back of his mind, he knew what Khan was saying was true. However, he wasn't thinking rationally; his body was on automatic, his brain blocked out by irrational anger and protective instincts for Marz, and he said the words he thought he would never say in his life: "Then you can take your sympathies and this job and shove it, sir. I will not allow you to ruin this man's life for your petty conspiracy theories. You will have my resignation on your desk by tomorrow. Good day, sir.."

And with that, he ran out, not even bothering to slam the door behind him, leaving the group of kats staring bewildered behind him. As he ran, one thing permeated his mind: he had to warn Marz about what Khan and the gang were up to, before it was too late. Racing down to the ground floor of the building's parking garage, he dove into his car, started it up, and drove full-tilt out of it, headed straight toward the labs. As he drove, he dialed Marz's cell phone number and tried to get a hold of him, but Marz, having left his phone home for the night, wasn't answering. Growling in frustration, he threw the phone onto the passenger seat and continued his trip to the labs.

At the labs, Marz had checked himself out early and slipped into an unused part of the building, carefully avoiding the guards as he waited for nightfall. He wished he had his Surge Coat with him, but he knew he couldn't risk it, not at this point. Minutes turned to hours as he waited , until a final lights-out throughout the building alerted him to the fact that it was deserted once more. Smirking, he tossed his lab coat and charged up his powers, his hair and fur glowing lighter and spiker as the static electricity around him surged. His eyes dimmed to golden orbs, and his hair shot straight up in a staticky mowhawk.

Bracing himself, he pressed a hand against a power socket near the door, charging up electricity as he mutated himself into pure energy and entered the socket, sliding along the electrical conduits within the building's walls. Soon, he made his way to the main security room, where the head guard was lazily scanning the wall of monitors for any sign of invaders. Grinning to himself, the metakat popped his head onto one monitor, then another, until his face filled the entire wall. He cackled as the guard fell backward at the sight, startled out of his wits as the being now known as Hard Drive spoke.

"You're watching HDTV, Hard Drive Television, and on our next episode, we'll be robbing you blind and zapping you unconscious, all in wondrous 3D Shock-o-vsion!"

With that, the monitors started to burst, one by one, shooting lightning at the frightened guard. The guard tried his best to dodge the bolts as he ran to the button that would sound the alarm, but just as he got to it, a stray shock struck the button, destroying it.

"Uh, uh, uh, can't have you do that, now, can we? But let's give him a hand for trying anyway, folks!" Hard Drive then stuck a hand out of the destroyed button, its circuitry allowing him to reform as he grasped the hand of the guard, sending a taser-like shockwave through his system. Groaning, the guard rolled his eyes into the back of his head and collapsed, alive but out like a light. Reaching down, Hard Drive felt the guy's pulse to make sure he was still among the living, before patting him on the cheek. "Night night, Sleeping Beauty. Hopefully, when you wake up, this nightmare will be over and done for all of us..."

Back at Khan Towers, Feral was fuming at what Peter had just done to his mate.

"Goddamnit!" he yelled out, roaring almost loud enough for the entire building to hear him. "What in the hell is he thinking, trying to protect that criminal? If I had half a mind, I'd..."

"You'll do what, my love?" Khan asked, standing up to stare into Feral's eyes, confrontingly.

Feral growled and poked a finger at his lover's chest, defiantly. "You're not going to let him get away with this, now, are you, Khan?"

Khan continued to glare at the former Enforcer Commander, tempted to start swinging, himself, but managed to calm himself down as he realized what had just transpired. "...Yes, I will."

"You can't be serious! Mr. Collins..."

"Is his own man with his own priorities," Khan cut in, pointedly. "I should've realized this, sooner."

Feral quirked an eyebrow, confused. "What do you mean?"

Khan sat back down, rubbing his jaw, wearily. "He told me, once, while I was worrying about whether or not to marry you that I wasn't his first. I should've realized when he mentioned Marz what he meant by that. They aren't just lovers, they were separated by chance and brought together by fate, two men broken by their love only to be rebuilding each other together by that love. It's that love that's blinding him, right now, to the truth."

"Then shouldn't we go after him?" Razor asked, concerned. "I mean, If he finds out that Marz really is Hard Drive, there's no telling what he'd do, or what Hard Drive would do to him, in defense."

T-Bone nodded in agreement. "Yeah. No offense, but I don't care how deluded he is in love or how much electricity he was able to take during the incident, facing off against that psycho-electro won't be good on anyone's health, least of all his."

Feral nodded, still pissed. "At the very least, we should make sure things don't escalate between them, should the litter hit the fan."

Khan looked at the trio, unable to come to a decision, but finally nodded, as well. "Fine, we'll get going. But I warn you, no unnecessary force against either Hard Drive or Peter. I don't want either of them getting harmed, understand me?"

The trio nodded their agreement and headed out, Feral and Khan in their limo, the Swat Kats in the Turbokat. As he headed toward the labs, Khan secretly prayed for both Pater and Hard Drive – Marz, he reminded himself, gently – would be okay.

It was late at night before Peter was able to arrive at the labs. Most of the lights in the buildings were dark and the parking lot was itself barren. Shutting off his car, he jumped out and ran into the main building, passing by a few security guards along the way. The guards blinked as the one-armed tabby rushed by them, only to jump as a klaxon started blaring. "Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Lock down at Section E-7. Repeat, lock down at Section E-7. Theft in progress. Repeat, theft in progress." Peter, hearing the announcement, blinked and growled, cursing himself for his foolishness. Steeling himself, he ran toward the mentioned section, hoping to catch Marz before anything else went wrong.

In the aforementioned section, Marz was running for his life, dodging fire from guards and slipping under closing riot doors as he attempted to make his way out of the labs. Without his Surge Coat, he was reluctant to simply zap out of there, especially with the amount of experimental devices he was carrying. Once again, he was duped into thinking the lab was easy pickings, only to be sorely mistaken shortly after sneaking into the lab where the experimental electro-stimulation devices were being held. He was so sure that, after a week of studying the layout of the building and its security, he'd be able to get what he needed no problem, but instead, it was almost as if someone knew what he had planned and was just baiting him on before springing the trap on him.

Sliding underneath another riot door, he stopped as a familiar face came into view: Peter, running full-tilt toward him with a worried, almost enraged look in his eyes. They both screeched to a halt as their eyes met, both widening in shock as they saw what the other was doing. Then Marz saw the guards coming up from behind Peter. Yelling at the kat to get down, he conjured up the most potent bolt of lightning from his fingertips and flung it at the riot door behind him, causing it to slam with a crash between him and the guards as Peter did as he was told. With another couple bolts of lightning, he magnetically sealed the door, locking the guards out of the corridor. Peter, looking up from his crouched position, looked back to see the electrified door and the guards pounding on it, trying to get inside, then glanced back to Marz, a look of utter shock and horror on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here, Peter?" Marz yelled, trying futilely to hide his stash behind his back.

Peter got up and brushed himself off, before angrily stomping toward Marz, growling a little in rage. "I should be asking you the same question, Marz. Or would you prefer I call you 'Hard Drive', now?"

Marz frowned as Peter walked over to him and grabbed the duffel bag that held the device out of his hand. Looking into it, Peter snarled and dropped it onto the ground and grabbed Marz by the collar, bringing him down to eye-level with him. "What the hell have you been doing, Marz? I just risked my job and my life with Khan to defend you from his and his friends' accusations, and now..." He sniffed as tears welled up in his eyes. "And now I learn they're all true. Every one of them. "

"Peter, I..." Marz started, tearfully, but stopped, unable to come up with a proper retort to Peter's words.

Snarling, Peter went to punch Marz in the jaw, his eyes flared in anger, only to go wide-eyed as Marz, instinctively, reached out and slammed him with a bolt of supercharged lightning. To both parties' surprise, though, instead of blasting Peter back and causing a heart attack, it only made him stumble back a little as it scattered harmlessly around his body.

Marz gasped and reached out, trying to grab his friend in concern. "Oh, gods, Peter, I'm so sorry, I..."

Peter growled and knocked Marz's hands away, taking another swing at the now-exposed metakat. Again, Marz attempted to defend himself, trying to block Peter's punch with his arm, only for his powers to spaz out again, sending a shockwave through his arm and into Peter's as they connected. Again, Peter was knocked back, the electricity diffusing around Peter's flesh and fur. Seeing how futile this battle was becoming, Marz quickly grabbed Peter by the shoulders and slid his hands down, pinning the tabby's arm to his side in order to calm him down. Peter, still pissed off, tried to fight him, but his fighting slowly dwindled as he realized Marz wasn't trying to fight him back. Looking up, he stared at Marz, solemnly, and buried his head into the kat's chest, sobbing his eyes out.

"Why? Why is this happening? What happened to change you like this?"

Marz blinked, looking down at his lover in despair, and powered down, his normal appearance gradually coming back as he willed his powers back in check. It was hard – much harder than it used to be – but he managed to do it, his fur settling down and returning to its original color, his hair falling limp as the static that held it upright dissipated, and his eyes returning to their normal state. Hugging Peter tight, he hushed the tabby gently, sighing as he looked around the room. "This isn't exactly the right place to talk about this, hon."

Peter shook his head, emphatically,. "No, I have to know, now. And I'm not leaving until I do."

Marz sighed and looked around, trying to find any place secure enough for their discussion. A doorway to the side of the corridor caught his eye, and he darted in, dragging Peter with him. Inside was the unintentional memory of a nightmare gone by; an electronics lab, filled to the hilt with all sorts of electrical devices, including a professionally-made Van de Graaff Generator in the middle. Slamming the door behind them, Marz used his powers to seal it like he did with the blast doors blocking the guards' entrance. Turning, he saw Peter looking over the lab in remembrance, a solemn look on his face as he touched the coil tenderly.

"This device...it's where all of this started, wasn't it? If the one at college hadn't blown..."

Marz frowned and walked up to Peter, trying to hug him again. Instead, Peter turned and pounded half-heartedly on his chest again. "Why did you leave me, hon? Why did you get into this unsavory business?"

Marz frowned and stepped back, extending his arms in presentation. "Look at me, hon; that accident made me a monster, a freak of nature with little left to lose. No one would hire me, in this state, and I doubted at the time that you would've taken me back, especially after thinking me dead for so long, so what choice did I have in the matter?"

"But why do this, hon?" Peter asked, insistently. "Why keep me in the dark like this and try to use me to rob my employer blind?"

Marz growled and bit his lip, struggling to keep his composure. "No offense, but I wished I hadn't reunited with you; things would've gone so much easier without this; I could've slipped in and out without anyone noticing, and you...you'd be safe to pursue whatever life you've been living."

Peter mrewled, sadly, and frowned, reaching out to stroke Marz's arm gently; it was still cracking with electricity from the large bursts he used to seal the doors, and it seemed to be growing in intensity. "You weren't kidding about your condition, were you? You were just hiding how severe it was."

Marz nodded. "Normally, without my Surge Coat, I can only produce low-level electricity, but recently my powers seem to have a mind of their own, going off in fits and spurts without my doing anything. And they're growing worse. That's why I needed the tech from your boss's labs, to try and whip up an antidote for this."

"But why not come to a hospital or a specialist, or..."

"There are no specialists for this condition, hon," Marz snapped back, frustrated. "Believe me, I've tried, but not even the docs on the Enforcers' payroll know what's going on with me. The only specialist I can count on is me, and without that tech, I can't cure my condition... not that I'd ever want to..."

Peter frowned. "You've become addicted to the power, and the criminal lifestyle, haven't you? With those devices, you could increase your powers to the point where no one could stop you, couldn't you?"

Marz nodded. "Yeah, at least...that was the plan. But the more time I spent with you, the more I realized that you meant more to me than this life. I...I don't want this power, anymore. I want to be normal, I want to be with you and never have to deal with my stupid alter ego ever again."

Peter stood there, contemplating all that he heard. He could tell in Marz's eyes that he was telling the truth, but he was hesitant to believe him; after being used for so long without his knowledge, could he ever trust the guy again? Just then, he realized something else, something that hadn't come to mind until then, and he had to know the answer. "...You were the one who killed the headmaster, weren't you?"

Marz blinked as the question was asked, a pit forming in his stomach as he realized what he had been inquired about. "Hon, he sabotaged the coil, tried to kill us both. He confessed as much when I confronted him about it. The bastard was sick and he deserved what he got!"

"How could you be so sure?" Peter growled, despairingly. "With your powers, he could've told you anything you wanted to hear, and it wouldn't have made a difference."

"No, he confessed quite readily without me having to create so much as a static spark. Hell, he blabbed about it the moment he realized it was me coming after him, he was so surprised I was still alive."

Peter frowned as he absorbed what he was told. He had to ask Feral about it, if Khan and the others were willing to forgive his impudence, but he had a feeling Marz was correct. Still, he couldn't believe what was going on,. It seemed like a distant dream, vague and undefined, as he fell out of focus with the world and narrowed his vision to himself and Marz.

"I...I dont even know what happened, after that," Marz cried, tearfully. "I didn't even know about my powers until after I confronted the dean. All I know was there were sparks, lots and lots of cackling, and when I finally came to, I had his charred flesh on my hands, on my body. It...it was...oh, gods, Peter..."

Peter gasped as he saw Marz break down, his powers fluctuating, causing him to go from normal state to the state he was as Hard Drive and back, rapidly. It was beginning to dawn on Peter what was happening; Marz's powers were going out of control, his emotional instability translating into actual instability with his ability to control his electrical impulses. Remembering the sudden seizures the tan kat had before, he wondered just how much of his willpower it took now just to maintain his normal presence. He also realized why he hadn't seen Marz until now; the burden of being a murderer, accidental or otherwise, must've weighed heavily on his conscience; from what he was told by the Swat Kats, Hard Drive usually wasn't in the habit of harming anyone, if he could help it. _He probably didn't think I could love someone like him after what he did, after what he had become._

Marz sniffed and attempted to speak, his voice cracking in choked-back tears. "I...I didn't mean...to...to kill him, hon... I...I just could...couldn't help my...myself..."

Peter, worried, snuck up close to Marz and wrapped his arm around him, the sparks dying down a little as they were absorbed into Peter's fur. He nuzzled Marz, trying to calm him down. "It's alright, hon. It's alright. I'm here, now. It'll all work out, now."

Marz shrugged, just as lost to the world as Peter was. "I dunno; I can't exactly knock you out and make you forget what happened. My powers don't work like that, and besides, they don't seem to affect you, for some reason. I guess it's a side-effect to the blast, just like my powers were."

"And I've pretty much blown my chance of retaining my job out of the water trying to protect you," Peter noted, without going into any other details. He didn't need to; Marz new that harboring a dangerous criminal like him was enough to get him arrested and suspended from work, if not worse. "But something has to give, here. One of us has to sacrifice their livelihood for the other. It's the only way we'll both survive this."

Marz frowned and thought, trying to come up with a plan. Peter was right; there was no way both of them would be coming out of this one intact; one of them had to give themselves up for the other to get off. Sighing, he made his decision. "I've been in prison enough times to know the routine. I'll be gone for a couple of months, a year or two at most, then I'll be back on the streets and we can pick up where we left off, if that's what you so – _GYAAAAAH!_"

Peter winced as Marz started spasming out of control, first in his left arm, then his right, then his entire body started jerking and sparking like a robot going haywire. Concerned, he rushed to Marz's side and hugged him close, the residual electricity coming off him being absorbed by Peter's skin and fur. "Marz, hold on, I'll try to get someone to help. Just stay with me, okay?" Digging out his phone, he hastily called Khan's cell phone, the signal crackling due to the close proximity to Marz's powers.

After a few rings, the tiger picked up and growled into the phone. "Peter? What are you – "

"Just shut up and listen, sir," Peter yelled into the phone, keeping the spasming Marz close. "Marz is down and we need an ambulance and your best technicians here, pronto. He's going into spasms and I think his powers are going out of control from him using them so much without his Surge Coat. You have to help him!"

Silence, then Feral's voice squealed over the line. "We will not help that criminal scum, especially after the stunt you just pulled."

Khan batted his mate away with a snarl and took the phone back. "How do I know this isn't a trick, Peter?"

Peter bit his lip and held back an enraged roar. "You can hear the static over the phone, can't you? Please, he may die, at this rate! You have to help him. I'm sorry for what I did, but if you've ever loved me, _please help him!_"

Again the phone went silent as Khan considered his options. With a glance of indignation to his mate, he made up his mind. "Alright, we'll be there in five minutes. Try to have him hold out until then, okay?"

Peter smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir."

Peter sat with Khan and Feral at the court house, waiting for the verdict on Marz. It had been months since the robbery attempt, and things were never the same since; Marz, thankfully, had gotten the treatment he needed in time, telling the technicians where his lair was so they could examine and reverse-engineer his Surge Coat for a cure for him. While they did so, Peter stayed right by his side; at first, the docs tried to to pull him away from the injured kat, but the constant sparks flying from Marz's body kept them from getting too close, and realizing that Peter was not harmed by them, they decided to let him be. Eventually Khan's medical technicians were able to create a prototype device from his Surge Coat, but it wasn't perfect; he had to wear a rather bulky device that looked like a three-ring collar around his neck to help regulate his electricity, but the doctors said that it and regular contact with Peter – whose skin they determined now acted as a sort of insulator against electrical attacks – should keep the spasms down to a minimal. After that was done, Marz was taken into Enforcer custody to stand trial for the robbery.

As Marz was carted away, Khan – with Feral grousing at him from behind – placed a hand on Peter's shoulder and squeezed it, tight. It was a sign of concern and respect, a gesture that Peter knew meant the punch he threw didn't hurt their trust. Sitting down, they began discussing what was going to happen to Marz and what it meant for them; after a long deliberation, Khan realized just how much Marz had meant to Peter, and how much he had risked to defend him. As they talked, Khan explained to Feral how, the last time Peter had hit him and threatened to leave, he did it out of concern for Khan and his relationship with Feral; now, he did it out of concern for his own relationship with Marz, something he just now realized was little different in perspective. It took some doing, but Feral was finally convinced of Peter's convictions and was able to forgive him for what he had done.

Now, as they awaited the verdict, Peter looked at Marz, sorrowfully. He couldn't believe what had gone on, in the past couple of months, but he was grateful that it was over. Marz, on the other hand, was stoic as ever, patiently awaiting his fate as the judge read the court's decision: guilty of robbery in the first degree. Biting back tears, Peter turned away from Marz as the latter bowed his head low, knowing what the judgment meant. However, in a shocking twist, the judge continued to read the judgment; in light of the revelation about Marz's power and due to the doctors' prescriptions, the court would defer custody of Marz to Peter for house arrest. Blinking back tears of surprised joy, Peter and Marz rushed up to meet each other in a warm embrace, grateful for the court's mercy. They didn't even bother to listen to the other restrictions the judge placed on Marz, such as a year away from the city in a facility suitable for containing him (which they later learned was a self-sufficient cabin in the woods that Khan and Feral used for their honeymoon) and a strict restraint against him using his powers; all they cared about was that they would finally be together.

As they walked out of the courthouse, Khan stopped the duo and asked to talk with Marz, privately. Ignoring a dirty look from his mate, he pulled Marz away and into a dark corner, making sure no one was around to listen in. "First of all, you can thank me for ensuring the judge was so lenient on you."

Marz nodded, solemnly. "I figured you were the one behind this. Thanks. I don't think I could ever repay you for this."

Khan smiled, wickedly. "There is something, but before we discuss that, there is something I must emphasize in regards to your relationship with Peter."

Marz nodded again, knowing where this was going. "I understand, sir. I won't harm a hair on his head, or any other place on his body."

"Good. I'll hold you to that, because if you break that promise, I swear I'll hunt you down and break you, understand?"

Marz winced, shying away from the tiger as he said that. "Loud and clear, sir."

Khan nodded. "Good. Now that that's taken care of, I heard you were once in the business of, let's just say... technological espionage?"

The tom frowned. "Yes, sir, but you heard the judge; I'm done with all of that stuff, now."

The tiger growled and placed a hand on Marz's shoulder, staring at him coldly. "Not until I say you are, boy. You said you wanted to make this up to me, well here's your chance. Now, I'm assuming you've run into them enough times to know about the Swat Kats, correct...?"


End file.
